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How I Got A Needle In My Vein

October 17, 2015/

I have been feeling unwell since Tuesday this week and it only got worse by the day. On Tuesday, I started having a bad case of stomach ache but I was able to shrug it off by going to the comfort room when needed, thus taking more breaks during work, but I pushed on.

On Wednesday, I had a really bad headache, which resulted in me craving for soup and wearing a sweater when we headed out for dinner despite the normal temperature. It rained, but it wasn’t even chilly. And I sweat easily so a sweater was a bold move. I didn’t take any kind of medicine or painkiller by then but by Thursday, I just felt worse. I was hoping the headache would subside, it did for a while, but it came back about two hours upon waking up. That time I even Skyped with Shane and began telling him I was feeling weird. I didn’t take it seriously but right before I started working, I started crying because I was feeling that bad. I informed my employer and he gave me permission to take a day off and rest, which I took.

It was a long day for me because I wasn’t used to having free time on my hands – with all the chores and work I usually do every day. I resorted to reading and watching Netflix all day while trying to nurse my headache and stomachache.

My head was really pounding and I even thought God was punishing me for something I did wrong or something. I know it doesn’t work that way, but I couldn’t help thinking it because I was feeling too unwell. By Friday, my headache has subsided but my stomachache still lingered, so I opted not to eat anything that would worsen it. I managed to survive the day by eating bananas and apples and two big potatoes that I boiled and flavored with salt.

Since I woke up, my neck has been hurting and I just took it as a stiff neck. I was struggling with work and I couldn’t fit two and two together fast enough and I didn’t know it was because of my neck. By afternoon, I couldn’t think straight so I told Shane about it and also texted mom because my neck was ridiculously painful and I couldn’t even think straight, and the pain was starting to creep up my head, which I was afraid would result in more headache. I finished the article I was writing and prepared to go the hospital.

Manong fetched me by 5 PM and accompanied me at the St. Luke’s ER. He was reluctant about the service so he went ahead to fetch mom from Makati while I stayed in the ER and waited to be attended. I don’t remember the exact time everything happened, but the nurse made me drink a 50 mg tablet of Eperisone and gave me a 25 mg IV of Dexketoprofen. Then I had to wait for about an hour again before a room was available for my X-ray. I had to wait for half an hour before a doctor approached me and explained the results to me. According to my x-ray, it was a muscle spasm or contraction/sprain of muscles, which I’m suspecting was caused by my prolonged sitting due to work. The doctor prescribed the same medications, but to be taken every 8 hours for 5 days.

My hospital bill was so expensive, I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. My medicine was also cheaper in the drugstore than what the hospital charged me, but I guess that’s how the world works, right? The IV was so painful and it was my first time to be given medicine right in my vein. It was honestly painful and that time, I didn’t know what to do with myself to help ease the pain. So I just sat there in the lobby, trying to hold back my tears. I didn’t pay the medical bill, but I’m still very affected by it. It’s so expensive, it cost almost one paycheck.

My neck/shoulders are hurting again as I type this, but I took my medicines this morning. I’m just not sure if it would be as effective, seeing that I’m not eating real meals as of now because of my stomachache, which reminds me that I’m buying myself a bottle of Flagyl later.

Being sick is hard and it’s not something to be proud of, like, “I’ve been to the hospital three times in one year and were diagnosed this and that.” Health is wealth, no matter how cliche it sounds. Consistent exercise will also get you nowhere if you don’t do proper forms and you don’t practice proper posture all the time. Nothing can prevent you from injuries or from being sick unless you really take care of your health.

Going on an empty stomach should be stopping my brain from functioning properly but I’m grateful my mind is able to cope and I can still think straight enough that I’m able to write a long blog post about my very eventful week. I also want to share this information to others in a hope of helping them take better care of their bodies and to not neglect good health. I’m not a frail person but when I get sick, which is seldom, it hits me hard. Let this be a lesson to you to feed yourself more healthful foods and never jeopardize your health for anything, regardless if it’s for work or studies. At the end of the day, what is a hundred pesos to prevent sickness to a thousand that you’ll have to pay for ignoring the red flags.